Recent advances in fuel cell technology and an increasing demand for hydrogen are driving the need for the development of more efficient methods to produce hydrogen. Methods for efficient hydrogen production include utilization of thermochemical cycles. Thermochemical cycles produce hydrogen through a series of chemical reactions that result in the splitting of water at much lower temperatures than direct thermal dissociation. The chemical species in such reactions are recycled resulting in the consumption of only heat and water to produce hydrogen and oxygen. Since water rather than hydrocarbons are used as the source of hydrogen, there are no carbon dioxide emissions and the hydrogen produced is highly pure.
There are many known thermochemical cycles which can produce hydrogen from water. However, only a select few thermochemical cycles are suitable for large-scale applications and even these present difficulties. Certain problems with utilizing such thermochemical cycles have been resolved electrochemically through the use of aqueous-phase anode streams. However, aqueous-phase electrolysis suffers from low current densities and difficult product separation. Improved performance of electrolytic cells is desirable to improve the efficiency of promising thermochemical cycles. Thus, a need exists for a system which can improve the electrochemical step in thermochemical cycles.